Game apparatus.



1%. 870,606. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

J. H. ADAMS. 'GAMB APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 822115.1906.

having a flat surface 1] at right angles to the cud of the UNITEDSTAZIEg OFFICE.

JAMES H. ADAMS, OF KENSINGTON, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PAUL H.

' TAMPLET, OF KENSINGTON, MARYLAND.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed September 15. 1906. Serial No. 334,720.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kensington, in the county of Montgomery and State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GameApparatus, of Whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to games and it consists of a board having pocketsor traps over which a ball is adapted to be driven by a mallet or cueand adapted to be played in a manner somewhat similar to the game ofcroquet.

To these ends my invention is embodied in prel'crable form in the devicehereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the game board; Fig. 2, anedge view; Fig. 3, a detail of modified form of barrier and Fig. 4, adetail of a block designed to close one-half of the pocket.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a [lat board preferably mounted on legs2 so as to raise the board above the table or floor on which it may besupported. This board is preferably of diamond shape and 3 indicates thepoint at which the ball 5 is placed in starting to play the game. One ormore traps or pockets 6 are situated at each of the two opposite endcorners of the board. in the center is a pocket 7 and at each sidethereof, pockets 8. Each trap or pocket is provided with a fixed bridge9 extending centrally through the pocket in the direction in which theball is adapted to be driven. Behind each of the side pockets 8 ismounted a rubber bul'l'cr l0 bridge of said pocket and placed at such anangle as to be adapted to return the ball when the same strikes thebuffer to a position substantially in front of the central pocket so asto enable the player by properly striking the buffer to obtain positionfor his next. shot across the central pocket.

Extending along each side of the board and a short distance from theouter edge thereof is a barrier 11 which stops short of a line parallelwith the adjacent barrier leaving open spaces at each of the [ourcorners formed by the barriers. The two opposite end corners are closedby triangular rubber buffers 12 having opposing flat faces facing theinner portion of the board and which buffers constitute the goal postsfor the game.

The barriers 11 and an outer wall 13 of the frame i'orm between them arunway 14 to which the ball may be driven through either of the opencorners 15.

The barriers 11 may consist either of the wire 16 as shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings or it may consist of the rubber cushion 17 as shown in Fig.3.

The pockets or traps may be made of any desired shape but it isnecessary that each half of the same be of sufficient size to permit aball to drop into the pocket.

.Each pocket is provided with a bag or retaining device 18 which may beof any desired construction and which is designed to catch the ball whenit drops through the opening in the pocket.

In order to vary the game and to permit one or more of the pockets to beclosed up blocks 19 are provided each fitting one-half of the openingsin the pockets so that they may be placed in said openings and thusclose the pockets. The game may be played either with a mallet 20 or asmall cue 21.

The object of the game .is to start at the point 3 and to drive the ballacross the bridges 9 of the pockets. After the first two pockcts havebeen passed the ball is then driven to the side pocket and if it strikesthe buffer 10 properly it will be returned in [rent of the centralpocket across which it is then adapted to be driven and then across theopposite end pockets. Should the ball fall into one of the pockets theplayer must either try again for the. pocket lic has missed or startover again as the rules may provide. A l'tcr reaching the goal post atthe opposite end from which the hall was started the ball must then bereturned in a manner similar to the game of croquet to the main goal andthe player who success fully passes the pockets first is the winner ofthe game. ltach player may be provided with a ball. An opponcnts ballmay be driven out of bounds through the open corners 15 into the runwayi l.

it is clear that various changcs in the details of the device may bemade without departing from the principlcs of my invcntion.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

1. A game apparatus having a flat; board, :1 ball, a se ries of pocketsin said board and a bridge extending across each of said pockets overwhich the ball is adapted to be driven, substantially as described.

2.. A game apparatus having a board. pockets over which a ball isadapted to be driven and resilient opposite goal posts, substantially asdescribed.

5;. A game apparatus having a board, a series of pockets over which aball is adapted to be driven and having openings of sutlicient size topermit the ball to drop into the pockets, each pocket having a bridgeextending across the same. resilient goal posts and barriers havingcorner openings, substantially as described.

t. A game apparatus having a board, a ball. a series of pcckets. eachpocket having openings of sufiicicnt size to permit the bull to dropinto the pocket and retaining means at the bottom of the pocket. and afixed bridge extending across the pocket over which the ball is adaptedto be driven. substantially as described.

5. A game apparatus having a board, said board having pockets arrangedat opposite end corners oi the board, side pockets and a central pocket,a bridge across each of said pockets. and a resilient butler near one ofsaid'pockets at the end of said bridge. substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES ll. ADAMS.

Witnesses M. EMORY Jones, Jr., .los. II. Bmcxwoou.

